KENYA Power has tendered for the Sh78.96 billion ($840 million) Last Mile Electricity Connectivity Project aimed at expanding power supply across the country.
Under the project, funded in phases by the African Development Bank, the company is planning to erect 12,000 kilometres of low voltage power distribution lines targeting to provide power connection to 284,200 households and 30,000 commercial users.
AfDB disbursed the first $133 million (about Sh12.51 billion) last November.
Kenya Power on Friday floated tenders in 11 lots for the supply and extension of low voltage single-phase lines and service cables in the 47 counties.
The lots are classified according to regions and have different bid bonds ranging from Sh2.07 million ($22,000) to Sh18.24 million ($172,000) depending on the region.
Successful contractors' role will be conducting major works that includes “extension of low voltage system for connections of single phase and three phase customers including installation of energy meters”, Kenya Power said in adverts in the dailies.
The deadline for applying for the fatty tenders is June 5, the same date that the tenders shall be opened.
Ministry of Energy has in the past said that successful implementation of the project will lead to a significant reduction in connection fees currently pegged at a minimum of Sh35,040 for single phase to a maximum Sh20,000.
Suspended Cabinet secretary Davis Chirchir had said earlier in the year that poor households may have their connection charges waived altogether.
The expansion of the power distribution network is in line with government's behind schedule generation of 5,000 megawatts-plus project that was to run between September 2013 and December 2017 at an estimated cost of $17.5 billion (about Sh1.65 trillion).
This will be tapped from geothermal wells (1,600MW), coal-fired plants(1,920MW), Liquefied Natural Gas-powered plants (700MW), wind (650MW) and hydro (420MW).
